An association group working in the field of drug awareness warned against overdose, especially in northern regions where field data indicate a significant number of such cases.
These associations highlighted, in a statement received by our website, the difficulty of having the necessary life-saving medicines for overdose victims in some northern cities of the country, as these drugs remain in the offices of the Ministry of Health delegations. However, to rescue a victim, it is absolutely necessary to administer these drugs urgently on the spot.
The AIDS Control Association, the National Association for Drug Risk Reduction and the Hassouna Association for Support to Drug Users have called for the implementation of the recommendations issued by the international consultation launched by the Directorate of Epidemiology and Infectious Diseases of the Ministry of Health, and the adoption of mechanisms to provide information on the causes of death of drug users, as well as on the training and awareness-raising of the various stakeholders, whether health professionals or civil society actors, in relation to diagnosis, prevention and care. There is also a discussion about how to distribute and access the drug “Naloxone”, which is the only treatment that can save the lives of overdose victims.
According to the latest report of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), 585,000 people died from an overdose in 2017. These deaths could have been prevented by urgently administering “Naloxone”. Indeed, an American study has shown that the availability of this drug contributes to the reduction of mortality following an overdose of 12%, according to the same release.
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